Wedding checklist, dated to your wedding

How it works

Every task on the list has an offset, a set time before the wedding, and the checklist takes that offset away from your date. Month offsets count back calendar months, so a task 12 months before a wedding on 14 August falls on 14 August the year before; if that day does not exist, as with 31 August counting back to February, it moves to the last day of the month. Week and day offsets count back in days.

Tasks are then grouped under the month they fall due. Anything with a date that has already passed goes into “Do now” at the top, oldest first, so a couple with four months to go still sees the whole list rather than a page of missed deadlines.

The notice of marriage dates work differently. They come from the same rules as the notice of marriage calculator: in England and Wales, no later than 29 days before the ceremony and no earlier than 12 months before it, and 28 days in Northern Ireland. Church of England and Church in Wales weddings get a banns task instead. Scotland’s notice tasks carry no dates, because no official page gives an earliest one.

Tick tasks off as you go. Copying the link writes the ticks into the address itself, so the bookmark is your saved progress.

Assumptions

• The offsets are this site’s planning assumptions, not rules. Photographers, venues and bands that are in demand often book up earlier, so move anything that matters most to you forward.
• Only the notice dates come from official rules, and they are the notice calculator’s dates.
• A task due today counts as “Do now”.
• Evening guests change the wording of the invitations and final numbers tasks. Travelling guests add save-the-dates and rooms. A honeymoon adds booking it and checking passports. Changing a name adds one task for after the wedding.
• Bank holidays are not counted.

Questions

Is my progress saved?

Not on your device. Ticks are kept in this browser tab, and “Copy link with your ticks” writes your date, settings and ticks into the link. Open that link later, or bookmark it, and the list comes back as you left it.

Our wedding is less than a year away. Is it too late?

No. Every task whose date has passed sits under “Do now”, in the order it would have fallen, so you can work through it from the top. Some suppliers may already be booked for your date, which is worth knowing before you start.

When do we have to give notice of marriage?

In England and Wales, at least 29 days before the ceremony and within the 12 months before it. Northern Ireland’s minimum is 28 days. In Scotland the registrar must have your notices at least 29 days before, and National Records of Scotland suggests sending them 10 to 12 weeks ahead. The notice calculator shows the full window for your date.

Why is there no notice task for our church wedding?

Church of England and Church in Wales weddings normally use banns read in church instead. The Church of England says banns are read “for three Sundays during the three months before the wedding”, so the checklist asks you to arrange them four months ahead.

Can I print this wedding to-do list?

Yes. Print gives the dated list with a tick box beside each task and your ticks filled in, without the settings or the rest of the page. Copy as text gives the same list for an email or a notes app.